Cancer occurs when cells in a part of the body begin to grow out of control. Normal cells divide and grow in an orderly fashion, but cancer cells do not. They continue to grow and crowd out normal cells. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all have in common this out-of-control growth of cells.

Different kinds of cancer can behave very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates and respond to different treatments. ThatÂ’s why people with cancer need treatment that is aimed at their kind of cancer.

Sometimes cancer cells break away from a tumor and spread to other parts of the body through the blood or lymph system. They can settle in new places and form new tumors. When this happens, it is called metastasis (muh-tas-tuh-sis). Cancer that has spread in this way is called metastatic cancer.

Even when cancer has spread to a new place in the body, it is still named after the part of the body where it started. For example, if prostate cancer spreads to the bones, it is still called prostate cancer. If breast cancer spreads to the lungs, it is still breast cancer. When cancer comes back in a person who appeared to be free of the disease after treatment, it is called a recurrence.

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Sunlight and Ultraviolet Exposure

The vast majority of skin cancers are due to unprotected ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure. Most of this radiation comes from sunlight, but some may come from artificial sources, such as tanning booths. The amount of UV exposure depends on the strength of the light, the length of exposure, and whether the skin is protected.

What Damage Occurs with UV?

The short-term results of unprotected exposure to UV rays are sunburn and tanning. Long-term exposure causes prematurely aged skin, wrinkles, loss of elasticity, dark patches (lentigos, that are sometimes called "age spots" or "liver spots"), actinic keratoses. and actual skin cancers. Actinic keratoses are small (usually less than 1/4 inch) rough or scaly spots. Usually they develop on the face, ears, back of the hands, and arms of middle-aged or older people with fair skin, although they can arise on other sun-exposed areas of the skin. Although actinic keratoses are slow-growing and usually do not cause any symptoms, they sometimes turn into squamous cell cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates more than 1 million new cases of highly curable basal and squamous cell cancers will be diagnosed this year. The most serious form of skin cancer is melanoma, which is diagnosed in more than 60,000 people each year and causes several thousand deaths. During the 1970s, the incidence rate of melanoma increased rapidly at about 6% per year. Since 1981, however, the rate of increase slowed to about 3% per year.

Besides skin cancer, the sun's UV radiation also increases the risk of cataracts and certain other eye problems, and can suppress the immune system. And although dark-skinned people are generally less likely to get skin cancer than light-skinned people, they are susceptible to cataracts and immune suppression.

Are Any UV Rays Safe?

Two main types of UV radiation reach the earth, UVA and UVB. UVB radiation is well known to cause damage to the DNA of skin cells. Skin cancers develop when this damage affects the DNA of genes that control growth and division of skin cells. Recent research has found that UVA also contributes to skin cancer formation. Scientists now believe that both UVA and UVB rays contribute to skin damage, including skin cancer. There are no safe UV rays.

What Is the UV Index?

To increase awareness of the damaging potential of UV radiation, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Weather Service developed the UV Index. The UV index number, ranging from 0 to 10+, indicates the amount of UV radiation reaching the earth's surface during an hour around noon. It is forecast daily for 58 cities, based on locally predicted conditions. The higher the number, the greater the exposure to UV radiation. The UV Index is valid only for about a 30-mile radius from the city, and, as with any forecast, local variability in cloud cover and other factors may change actual levels experienced, but it serves as a reminder to take precautions against UV exposure.

Sample Menu to Include 5 A Day

Keep fruit on hand for snacksMore than a decade ago the National Cancer Institute launched the Eat 5 A Day for Good Health program to move Americans closer to a cancer-fighting diet.

Today the evidence is even stronger that a diet high in fruits and vegetables can help prevent cancer over a lifetime. The sample menu on this page shows how to get 5 servings of fruits and vegetables without much fuss or expense. Fruit and vegetable serving sizes are smaller than most people imagine, which makes them easy additions to a meal or snack.

Breakfast: Usually do cereal? Slice a medium or half a large banana on top. Above all else, don’t forget your morning juice. Just 6 ounces of 100% fruit juice or low-sodium vegetable juice counts as a serving toward your 5 A Day.Tally: 2 servings.

Midmorning snack: Unsweetened portable applesauce counts as a serving and is easy to snack on anywhere. Like those baby carrots? Eat just five or six baby carrots and you have another serving. A handful of dried fruit (1/4 cup) will do the trick too.Tally: 3 servings.

Lunch: When you need a quick lunch, try ordering a pita sandwich or wrap loaded with vegetables, or a cup of hearty vegetable soup. Add a small side salad with low-fat dressing, and feel your energy rise.Tally: 5 servings.

Dinner: Even if you only have 5 minutes, dinner veggies are easy and delicious. Consider cooking canned or frozen peas or cauliflower in the microwave for a quick dinner side dish. Or, make a quick and delicious meal out of a microwave-cooked sweet potato with 1 teaspoon of butter, a splash of apple juice or squeeze of lemon, and a light sprinkling of cinnamon and brown sugar. A ½ cup of berries counts as one serving.Tally: 7 servings.

Dessert: Stock your freezer with 100% juice Popsicles or place ½ cup of berries, peaches, or other favorite fruit on low-fat frozen yogurt and you have added another serving to your day.Daily total: 8 servings.

More menu ideas and recipes are available from ACS online and by calling 1-800-ACS-2345. Other helpful websites include the National Cancer Institute's Eat 5 A Day for Better Health site.

Common Cancer Type

The list of common cancer types includes cancers that are diagnosed with the greatest frequency in the United States. Cancer incidence statistics from the American Cancer Society1 and other resources were used to create the list. To qualify as a common cancer, the estimated annual incidence for 2007 had to be 30,000 cases or more.

The most common type of cancer on the list is non-melanoma skin cancer, with more than 1,000,000 new cases expected in the United States in 2007. Non-melanoma skin cancers represent about half of all cancers diagnosed in this country.

The cancer on the list with the lowest incidence is thyroid cancer. The estimated number of new cases of thyroid cancer for 2007 is 33,550.

Because colon and rectal cancers are often referred to as "colorectal cancers," these two cancer types were combined for the list. For 2007, the estimated number of new cases of colon cancer is 112,340, and the estimated number of new cases of rectal cancer is 41,420.

Kidney cancers can be divided into two major groups, renal parenchyma cancers and renal pelvis cancers. Approximately 85 percent of kidney cancers develop in the renal parenchyma,2 and nearly all of these cancers are renal cell cancers. The estimated number of new cases of renal cell cancer for 2007 is 43,512.

Leukemia as a cancer type includes acute lymphoblastic (or lymphoid) leukemia, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myelogenous (or myeloid) leukemia, and other forms of leukemia. It is estimated that more than 44,000 new cases of leukemia will be diagnosed in the United States in 2007, with chronic lymphocytic leukemia being the most common type (approximately 15,000 new cases).

The following data gives the estimated numbers of new cases and deaths for each common cancer type:

Cancer Type

• Bladder
• Breast (Female -- Male)
• Colon and Rectal (Combined)
• Endometrial
• Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer
• Leukemia (All)
• Lung (Including Bronchus)
• Melanoma
• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
• Pancreatic
• Prostate
• Skin (Non-melanoma)
• Thyroid

Estimated New Cases

• Bladder 67,160
• Breast (Female -- Male) 178,480 -- 2,030
• Colon and Rectal (Combined) 153,760
• Endometrial 39,080
• Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer 43,512
• Leukemia (All) 44,240
• Lung (Including Bronchus) 213,380
• Melanoma 59,940
• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma 63,190
• Pancreatic 37,170
• Prostate 218,890
• Skin (Non-melanoma) >1,000,000
• Thyroid 33,550

Estimated Deaths

• Bladder 13,750
• Breast (Female -- Male) 40,460 -- 450
• Colon and Rectal (Combined) 52,180
• Endometrial 7,400
• Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer 10,957
• Leukemia (All) 21,790
• Lung (Including Bronchus) 160,390
• Melanoma 8,110
• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma 18,660
• Pancreatic 33,370
• Prostate 27,050
• Skin (Non-melanoma) <2,000
• Thyroid 1,530

References

1.American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2007. Atlanta, Ga: American Cancer Society, 2007. Also available online. Last accessed January 18, 2007.

2.Lipworth L, Tarone RE, McLaughlin JK: The epidemiology of renal cell carcinoma. Journal of Urology

Cancer

When normal cells are

damaged beyond repair,

they are eliminated by apoptosis.

Cancer cells avoid

apoptosis and continue

to multiply in an unregulated manner
DiseasesDB
28843
MedlinePlus
001289
MeSH
C04

Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). Cancer may affect people at all ages, but risk tends to increase with age. It is one of the principal causes of death in developed countries.

There are many types of cancer. Severity of symptoms depends on the site and character of the malignancy and whether there is metastasis. A definitive diagnosis usually requires the histologic examination of tissue by a pathologist. This tissue is obtained by biopsy or surgery.

Most cancers can be treated and some cured, depending on the specific type, location, and stage. Once diagnosed, cancer is usually treated with a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As research develops, treatments are becoming more specific for the type of cancer pathology. Drugs that target specific cancers already exist for several types of cancer. If untreated, cancers may eventually cause illness and death, though this is not always the case.

The unregulated growth that characterizes cancer is caused by damage to DNA, resulting in mutations to genes that encode for proteins controlling cell division. Many mutation events may be required to transform a normal cell into a malignant cell. These mutations can be caused by radiation, chemicals or physical agents that cause cancer, which are called carcinogens, or by certain viruses that can insert their DNA into the human genome. Mutations occur spontaneously, and may be passed down from one cell generation to the next as a result of mutations within germ lines. However, some carcinogens also appear to work through non-mutagenic pathways that affect the level of transcription of certain genes without causing genetic mutation.

Many forms of cancer are associated with exposure to environmental factors such as tobacco smoke, radiation, alcohol, and certain viruses. Some risk factors can be avoided or reduced.

TECHNORATI

Technorati Profile

HEALTHY LIFE TIPS PREVENT THE CANCER

dr. Zackya Arfinda Setiawan

This time, i many countries, people have applying healthy life behavior along with movement of cancer prevention. These following steps suggested to prevent cancer :


Consumegreen vegetables, fruits, and food which is a lot of containing fibre. At least one or two times a day.

Avoid the abundant body weight or fatness. Check you body weight 1 times one week. Research shows, the effect of fatness, have high risk of cancer specially bosom cancer, gracious, large intestine, bounce up the, kidney, and also gall bladder

Do not consume fried food too much as well as food with high fat fat and protein

Limit the food processed with high temperature or with the certain processing which can generate the prokarsinogen [of] like salted food, smoke, burned, grilled.The best one is stewed food

Beware of using non-natural sweetener, food colourant and preservative. Best food is fresh food

Keep cleaning the food, and free from the pollution

Do not consume the alcoholic drink as well as cigarette

Physical activity (sport) regularly accompanied by the health spiritual represent the integrated program in the effort cancer prevention